Private investment in health R&D by pharmaceutical companies, charitable foundations, and venture capital firms, among others, can help to save lives and boost the health of entire regions. But some countries’ health governance infrastructures, management capacities, regulatory processes, and policy conditions are better equipped to utilize this private funding than others. What governance factors promote an investment-friendly environment for the private sector? And how can countries attract more private sector health financing?

On March 30, Governance Studies at Brookings hosted a panel of experts to discuss what conditions lead to good health governance and how those conditions affect a country’s ability to use private investments in health R&D. At the event, authors Darrell West and John Villasenor released their new paper, “Health governance capacity: Enhancing private sector investment in global health,” which examines 18 countries throughout Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. How compatible is each country’s health governance strategy with effective use of private investment in R&D?